United Kingdom

The English Premier League is almost certain to bring in more money from its next round of domestic rights sales

Television audiences of the drivers and manufacturers’ home markets reflect rise and fall

Football: African pay-television broadcaster Supersport acquired the rights for the South African Premier Soccer League, the country’s top-tier football league, in a five-year deal, 2007-08 to 2011-12, w…

Italian football declining in popularity in the UK

Pay-TV broadcasters keen to win European Tour golf properties

League appeals to competition authorities for permission to sell rights for five years

Football: French commercial broadcasters TF1 and M6 confirmed their joint acquisition of the rights for Euro 2008, in a €100m (£68m) deal brokered by the Sportfive agency. 

Average audiences fall marginally for both BBC and BSkyB

France Télévisions' Heineken Cup audiences still show promise

Snooker: UK public-service broad-caster the BBC renewed its deal with the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association for a further five years, from 2007 to 2011, paying about £20m (€29m).  The deal is thought to be a significant cut on the existing deal, worth about £28m over a five-and-a-half year period.

Basketball: Polish pay-broadcaster Canal Plus acquired the live rights for the Euroleague in a three-year deal, from 2005-06 to 2007-08, with the Bonivest agency, which brokered the deal on behalf of Euroleague Basketball.

The long-awaited merger of the UK’s two cable operators will, according to the companies, create a major challenge to British Sky Broadcasting

Baseball: US cable broadcaster ESPN renewed its long-term deal for Major League Baseball, paying $2.368bn (£1.3bn/€1.9bn) over eight years, from 2006 to 2013.

British Sky Broadcasting is close to a deal for the live rights for cricket’s 2007 World Cup in the West Indies

Television audiences for the live matches shown in the opening six weeks of English football’s Premier League season increased

Football: German pay-broadcaster Premiere acquired exclusive rights for the Champions League in a three-year deal from 2006-07 to 2008-09